Not Just a Bedtime Story
by Watson-A-Name92
Summary: Eames tells a his children, along with Phillipa and James, about how he and the rest of the Dream Team met, their first job, and all the adventures in between. DomMal, EamesOC, ArthurAriadne
1. Tell Us a Story

**A/N: First shot at an Inception fic. I don't own Inception, what you don't recognize from the movie is mine.**

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><p>Four young children smiled up at a redheaded woman who had just finished tucking them all in for the night. The redhead looked down at all of them expectantly. She knew those smiles- two of them more than the others, but they all meant the same thing. The children wanted something, and by the looks of it, desperately. She sat on the end of the bed that the two middle children were on. "All right, I know those looks. What do you want, my little darlings?" She looked from the closer two to the others.<p>

The redhead girl in her bed pulled up the covers and giggled. "I told you she'd know, James."

The boy in the other bed sat up. "Did not, Alice!"

"Did too!" The boy lying beside Alice protested. His own auburn hair fell into his face.

The redhead woman looked at him. "Now Wes, I know you're defending your sister, but you don't need to get involved here." She ruffled the boy's hair.

"But Mum!" Wes protested. "Dad always said to defend Alice! He said it prevented him and you from dealing with it in the future!" His pout matched his father's to a 'T.' As if he couldn't look more like his father, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. Now it just wasn't the angry pout that matched his father's. Just about everything matched.

The redhead smiled down at her two children. "He's said a lot of things, Wes- a lot of things that could get him in trouble." She replied, scooting over in order to press her forehead against the boy's. "Now, we're getting away from what you kids were about to ask me. What did you want to ask? James, Philipa, you two have been awfully quiet. Did you two want to know first? Come on, tell me, it's okay." She looked at the children in the other bed.

James shrunk back, blushing. His desire to know the story completely left when it was up to him to do the asking. His sister, on the other hand, rose to the occasion and sat up straight, as if that action would've improved projecting her voice. "We wanted to hear how you, Daddy, Uncle Arthur, and Uncle Cal met."

The redhead sighed. "Oh, kids, all of us grown-ups have been over that. You're not old enough to hear the story. We'll tell you someday, we promise."

Wes pouted. "Daddy already told me that he and Uncle Arthur met Uncle Dom in jail!"

The woman frowned. "He did, did he?"

"Yeah, we just had to go like this…" Wes made a puppy face and swayed left and right, and his sister joined in.

Their mother sighed. "Well, luckily I've become immune to that."

"Aw, Mum, please!" Alice begged.

"Yes, Mum, please tell us the story!" A new voice, not at all belonging to one of the children, said from the doorway.

The redhead smiled, then turned to the newcomer.

Cal Eames winked at the woman. "Well, go on, Darling."

"Dad!" Alice and Wes shouted, barely able to contain themselves.

Eames smiled at them, then moved over to the bed, giving the woman a quick kiss on the cheek before turning around and laying down between his son and daughter. He looked up at his wife. "Well, Annie, let's hear it. We can Disney-ify it, can't we?"

Anne Eames shook her head. "Not really, Cal, no."

Eames smirked. "Afraid that they'll find out you were the evil queen?"

"I was the evil princess, if anything." Anne shot back.

Now the four children looked utterly confused. "Evil princess…? Mommy was evil?"

Anne crossed her arms over her chest and arched an eyebrow at Eames as if to say 'told you so.'

Eames merely shrugged and leaned back, letting Wes and Alice cuddle up to him. "Yes, until she saw me, the handsome prince, and was so taken by how handsome I was, that she became good."

The four children laughed. "Tell us! Please, Uncle Cal?" Phillipa and James asked.

Eames looked over at them, then to his own to children. "You really want to know?"

"YES!" They all chorused.

Eames looked at Anne. "You know I can't say 'no' to them…"

Anne put her hands up. "I'm going to bed. Just leave out what happened after Michael's… breakdown, will you?"

"Of course, darling." Eames rolled his eyes, then watched her leave. "Alright, James, Phillipa, get over here with us." He nodded to the end of the bed, and the two blonde children scrambled to get onto the bed. Eames waited for them to get comfortable before getting comfortable himself. He went through the story in his head himself, and he realized that Anne was right- it would be hard to Disney-ify it. Well, he never turned down a challenge. "Right… well, once upon a time, there were two very naughty princes. Prince Cal, and Prince Arthur. One day, Prince Cal said something to a beautiful maiden's father, which ended up getting the princes exiled to… the Land of _Penitentia_… and that is where they met Prince Dom…"

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><p><strong>AN: Very short beginning, I know. It's just a taste… and of course, you guys aren't gonna be seeing the "Disney-ifed' version, you'll see the regular thing. Anyways, hope you liked it so far, next chapter will jump right into it. **


	2. Penetentia

**10 years ago:**

Dom looked up when he heard a couple of new voices other than the low murmurs from the surrounding cells.

There was a groan from the dark haired man in the cell next to his. "Can't I get a moments peace when Hayden gets me stuck here? Why is it always him?"

The voices got louder, and Dom managed to pick out that one of the voices had British accent. When they got closer, Dom got a better look at the British one. He was large, but had handsome features. He knew from experience that meant the man was probably trouble._ Big_ trouble.

"I mean it, Sarge, I really didn't know she was your niece. You know me and I know you at this rate. You know I wouldn't try-"

"Shut it, Eames. You're lucky I didn't kill you when I found you at the house."

"Well, it's not like I raped her, is it? I was just holding the vase and she thought I was stealing." The British man, Eames, apparently, argued.

"Like I said, Eames. Shut… it." The police sergeant replied before literally throwing Eames into the cell across from the dark-haired man's cell.

The sergeant stormed off, and Eames picked himself up off the ground before brushing himself off. The man groaned in disgust. "How dare he? This is a new suit…" He looked up and took in the dark-haired man, and his put out look turned into one of sheer glee. "Arthur! Fancy seeing you here again!"

"Eames…" The dark-haired man, Arthur, greeted.

Eames winked. "What happened now? Your housemate try to hide the cocaine in your room again?"

"No. He tried to murder someone and tried to flee the state… using me as the unknowing getaway driver…"

Eames beamed. "No! You?"

Arthur shrugged. "I'm just lucky they believed me but I'm here because I don't feel like waiting for my sister outside this place."

Eames snorted. "You're adorable."

Arthur rolled his eyes.

Eames turned his attention to Dom. "You there. I've never seen you here before. What's your story?"

Dom pressed his lips into a thin line. "A few too many parking tickets."

Eames made a face. "Really? That shouldn't have happened."

Dom shrugged. "Sounds like you and I have something in common- A connection in here that doesn't like us too much."

Eames grinned. "Ah, corruption. How exciting it is."

Arthur scoffed, then looked at Dom. "You'll have to forgive him. He's not housetrained."

"Right you are, Arthur." Eames winked.

Dom looked between the two other young men. They seemed out of place in their cells, and how they were talking to each other just enforced that. Eames seemed almost genuinely interested, despite his mocking tone, about Arthur, and not in any perverse way. "So how are you two here? You seem to know each other well. Come here often?"

Eames shrugged. "Well, dear Arthur just told you, basically. I have a talent for finding trouble. Nothing too bad…" His tongue darted out of his mouth quickly to wet his lips before they twisted into a smirk. "Except stealing that one bloke's wallet, but I wasn't caught for that."

Arthur nodded. "I just have a really lousy college roommate turned housemate. He always gets in legal trouble and drags me down with him somehow, no matter how hard I try to avoid it."

Dom took in the dark-haired man's overall appearance- clean shaven, prim, proper. "Yeah. You don't seem like the prison type. You're just a kid."

"I'm nineteen. Just over being a kid thanks very much… but you're right. I'm not. Him, on the other hand…"

Eames just smiled, then turned his attention back to Dom. "What's your name, by the way?"

Dom's growing smile faded as he debated answering.

Eames rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking for your social security number, man. You can just tell me your first or last, I don't care."

Dom's eyes flicked back and forth. "Why?"

Eames grinned. "I like checking up on the people I meet here- the ones that don't try anything, if you catch my drift, anyway."

Dom frowned and lifted his head. "They… try for that when there are guards posted right out there?" He motioned at the door behind him, where two guards were seen walking back and forth, glancing through the small glass pane in the door.

Eames' grin widened. " 'Try' being the operative word, Parking Ticket. I… showed them it was a bad idea." He cracked his knuckles to enforce what he meant by 'showed.'

One of the officers came in, walking over to Arthur. "We have a problem, kid. We found cocaine in the car… again."

Arthur sputtered. "Wha- it's- It's Hayden's! I have nothing to do with it! He always."

The officer opened the door of the cell and motioned at the door. "Let's talk out here."

Arthur tossed his head back and groaned, starting to walk all the same. "Hayden, I hate you…" He let the officer lead him out.

Eames waited for the door to close before going into a fit of laughter. "That poor, poor boy." He looked at Dom. "Love him to death, that one. He can't catch a break."

Dom nodded. "Is he honestly nineteen?"

Eames raised his eyebrows. "Mm hm. As far as I know, yes."

Dom sighed and went over to the bed before sitting down. "Wow."

Eames offered a cheeky grin. "What? Are you one of those types that don't believe younger people should be imprisoned? He's legal."

Dom laughed. "No. It's just been a long… one day."

Eames arched an eyebrow. "How long are you in for?"

"A week."

Eames grinned, but showed a look of sympathy all the same. "Your guy must really hate you, then. If it makes you feel better, Sarge will probably keep me here for two weeks."

"Well, it doesn't." Dom leaned back, laying on the bed. He was grateful when Eames left him be for a few minutes after that. "It's Cobb."

Eames, who had also settled for lying down, glanced up. "What's that, Parking Tickets?"

Dom sat up. "My name. It's Cobb."

Eames offered another sly smile before laying back again. "Pleased to meet you, Cobb."

Dom offered a nod.

A comfortable silence hung in the air until Arthur returned, and the two made small talk from there.

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><p>"And that is how your uncles and I, or in James and Phillipa's case here, their father and their uncles, met." Eames finished- or at least he hoped he had.<p>

"But you didn't tell us how you met Mommy!" Alice protested.

Eames laughed. "It's late now, sweetheart. It's a story for another night."

Alice crawled into his lap. "Please, Daddy?"

Eames scoffed. That was his only issue with having two girls, then a boy. The girls managed to pick up his pleading look fast, and he was a sucker for it. He was grateful their oldest, Amelia, was asleep in her bed so he wouldn't get the look two-fold.

"Dad? What's going on?"

Eames flinched. He just had to think of her, didn't he? He glanced in the doorway, and sure enough, there was six-year-old Amelia, looking from him, to her siblings, to her 'honorary' cousins. "It's story time for this bunch, Mia. They want to know how your uncles, your mother and I met. I assume you want to join."

Amelia beamed before running at the bed.

Eames pulled Alice closer and pulled Wes back against his chest so she could fit on the bed.

"Fine. I won't get to your mother quite yet. Like I said, it's a story for another night, but I can tell you more about Prince Cal, Prince Arthur, and Prince Dom's adventure in Penetentia. That'll only take a few minutes, and your mother will kill me if all of you are out of bed much longer. Anyway, you see, it turns out there was a Princess in the castle who had a… very big crush on Prince Arthur. He didn't like that one bit…."


	3. Curiousity Killed the Cats

**A/N: Hopefully the length of this chap will make up for the chapter's kinda lame. Anyway, any chance of getting two reviews or more for this chap? Oh, and if anyone's interested, I put a banner up for this chapter. The link's on my profile.**

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><p>"And that was the last day Prince Arthur was ever in Penetentia. He managed to prove Lord Hayden was the troublemaker, and everything worked out." Eames patted his knees. He glanced back at the clock and frowned, seeing it was eleven at night. "Oh, dear. Your mother's going to kill me. This shouldn't have gone this late…"<p>

"But we want to know more!" The children protested.

"And you will. I'll make you five a deal- I'll tell you more when we're at the park tomorrow, as long as you all get to bed quick and stay put until the morning. Mia, Wes, Alice, you'll find out about your mother, Uncle Gabriel and Uncle Max, and James, Phillipa, you'll find out about how your parents met. Do we have a deal?"

The children pouted for a while, then all nodded reluctantly, muttering their own versions of 'yes'es as they did so.

Eames beamed. "Great. Now, all of you, sleep well." He pointed at his own of the bunch. "You three, come here." He kissed each of his children on the top of the head. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Mia, come on, off to bed."

Amelia swung her legs off her siblings bed, then skipped into her own room.

Eames turned both rooms' lights off before going into the master bedroom.

Anne, who was sitting up in bed, reading, smiled up at him. "Wow. You managed to get away. Good job."

Eames shrugged, then pulled back the blankets and dropped next to her. "They have the puppy look down already. I hate it and love it at the same time." He leaned over and kissed her. "Hello, by the way. Long time no see."

She laughed, then cuddled up to him. "Hi. How was Germany?"

"German," He replied, nuzzling her hair as he settled in. "Not enough you and the little monsters."

Anne laughed again. "Those monsters and I missed you."

"Oh, I could tell." Eames replied. "They're probably not going to let me out of their sight tomorrow. I hope I don't trip over our youngest or Cobbs' kids… again."

Anne sighed, pressing closer to him. "Promise me you'll never run off when we're scheduled to babysit again."

Eames tossed one arm around her shoulders. "Darling, It's not my fault I'm the best forger in the world and people worldwide want my talents." He replied. They were silent for a while, then he lifted his head. "So, should Max be Princess Anne's chipmunk, horse, mouse, or bird companion?"

She arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"What should Max be in the story? Gabe's a lion, Michael's a dragon. I don't have any idea for Max."

Anne stared at him before laughter bubbled up again as a thought occurred to her. " A pocket sized dragon?" She suggested. "He always was close at hand when you needed him… still is."

Eames laughed, then shrugged. "That he is, but… _really_? Pocket-sized?"

Anne shrugged. " Max idolized Mike, and you said he's gonna be a dragon. Anyway, so let me get this straight. Everyone's human, but Gabe, Michael and Max are random creatures?"

Eames set her with a mock disapproving look. "Liar. You didn't go to bed, did you? You were listening in on the story. How long?"

"Basically all of it." Anne admitted with a mock embarrassed look.

"And Mia said absolutely nothing to me about you listening in..." Eames realized.

"Nope. She listened to Mommy when I asked her not to tell Daddy he had an older audience member."

"That little stinker." Eames sighed.

"She must get it from you." Anne shot back playfully.

"Oh, no. Mia is all you, thank you very much."

Anne shook her head and smiled. "I forgot jet lag made you get creative and snippy."

Eames smirked. "Exactly, darling. That is why I'd like to go to bed so I'm well rested for the park tomorrow. Cobb gets his kids back and Arthur actually gets out of the house."

"Deal. Night, babe."

"Good night, Love. By the way, I'm having my merry little way with you tomorrow night when I have the energy. Just giving you fair warning."

"Mm hm." Anne turned away from him, then snuggled back into him.

Eames tossed his arm across her waist. "You drive me crazy sometimes."

"Love you too."

He laughed and pressed a kiss to the back of her head before letting sleep take him.

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><p>Eames bolted awake when some odd, displaced pressure hit his stomach. He groaned and lifted his head from the pillow. Sunlight. Morning. It didn't feel like it had been that many hours. He felt the pressure again and looked up, seeing Wes and Alice standing beside the bed, towards the foot of it. "What is it?"<p>

Alice reached over and tugged on his hand. "Uncle Arthur's here. Time to go!"

Eames laughed. "I have to get ready first, Darling."

"But we wanna play… and get to the park so you can… finish the story!" Alice protested, punctuating every word with a tug on his hand.

"You will. I just need to wake up and get dressed. Go play Arthur for a bit."

With a look that matched her mothers, Alice made it clear she didn't believe him.

"I mean it. It's not like l can jump out the window, is it? Run along. I'll be out in a minute. Promise."

Wes took his sister's hand and tugged her out of the room. "Toldja."

Eames shook his head. Alright, maybe he gave Anne too much credit as far as traits behind passed down. The stubbornness was definitely his. He dragged himself out of bed and went over to the closet, then bathroom. A few minutes later, he came out and found his kids climbing all over Arthur in the living room. The young man didn't seem to mind. He just watched them carefully, making sure they didn't slip. James and Phillipa were giggling a few feet away. "Alright. We all set? Where's my wife?"

"Making sure all of James and Phillipa's things are in the bag…. Mia's in one of her 'I must learn everything that my mom is doing so I can be just like her ' moods, so she's getting a bit delayed."

Eames chuckled. "Mia, come here!"

Amelia came bolting into the room. "Daddy!" She just about wrapped herself around his legs.

Eames ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead. "Morning, Love." He looked back at Arthur. "So we're all set otherwise?"

Arthur nodded. "Just waiting on Anne."

Eames smirked. "Then let's get the kids to the car before they can cause more delays."

Arthur laughed. "Sounds good to me." He went over to the door and opened it.

Eames looked at the kids. "Alright, everyone out. If anyone's not in the car in a minute they're not hearing the story."

All of the children shrieked and bolted out the door, heading for the four by four at the end of the driveway.

Arthur watched them, then looked at Eames. "…Do they have any idea that the truck's not even unlocked yet?"

Eames beamed. "Not a clue."

Arthur nodded at the car. "Let's go help them, then."

"After you, Your Highness."

"What?"

"Nothing, just walk."

Eames looked back into the seats behind the driver's row as they pulled into a parking spot after reaching the park. "Last one to our usual spot doesn't get ice cream on the way back."

The five children bolted out of the car without another word.

Arthur turned his attention to Anne he moved the seat in front of their row to get out. "Anne, does it bother you that he's starting to corrupt your children, just like that?"

Anne shrugged, "I kind of signed up for it when I married him, didn't I?" before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for worrying for them, though."

Arthur smiled. "It's my job- Eames doesn't have a conscience, so I end up being it for him."

Eames, who had gotten out moments before he did, tossed his arms up. "I can hear you, you know."

"And you know it's the truth." Arthur replied.

Eames made a face before noticing the children had reached the tree the group had claimed as 'their spot' when they had outings like this. "Alright, Michael is a dragon, Max is a little dragon, and Gabriel's a lion…" He muttered to himself.

Arthur frowned. "What?"

"Nothing, my boy." Eames replied before jogging over to their spot.

Arthur watched Eames go over to the children, whisper something, and the kids giggled and just about tackled him, wrestling him to the ground as they did so. "So… do you know anything about Max, Gabriel and Michael?"

Anne put her hands in her jeans' pockets. "He's telling them the story of how you guys, Mal, and the rest of my old team and I met. He's 'Disney'fying it, of course."

Arthur frowned. "So it includes Mal? Do you think Dom would be okay with it?"

Anne shrugged. "He hasn't gotten to that point yet, and I don't think he will, or he'll ask Dom or let Dom tell it. It's more how you guys met and apparently he's about to give the story about my boys and I and how we connected to you guys."

Arthur nodded, then looked down. "You know, I never thanked you for saving us that one time… must've taken a lot of courage. I-"

Anne put her hand up. "Arthur, don't worry, I know. Really, it's in the past. You had every right to still be suspicious back then."

Arthur sighed. "I still feel bad."

"Don't," Anne replied simply. She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Besides, I seem to remember you returned the favor."

"Your husband forced me to." Arthur pointed out.

"Well, you still helped me, so stop worrying."

Arthur smiled weakly, then offered his arm.

Anne beamed and looped her own through it, and the two headed over to Eames and the children.

Eames looked over at them. "Hey, Uncle Arthur! Leave my wife alone!"

Arthur shrugged. "I can't help it if she wants someone more civilized sometimes." He winked at Amelia, Wes and Alice to indicate that she really didn't, and sat down. "So, Eames, get on with the story I just heard about."

"Yeah!" The kids agreed.

Eames grinned, then looked up again, seeing Dom coming in the distance. "Okay. When Prince Cal, Arthur and Dom were meeting, in a not-so-far-away land, a very beautiful princess was just getting to know two very brave, very nice animals. One was Gabriel, a giant lion, and the other was Maximillian, a tiny little dragon that could fit in a cup." He looked at James and Phillipa. "The kind that your grandpa likes."

Alice tilted her head. "Do you mean Uncle Gabriel and Uncle Max?"

"That I do, Lovely."

Alice giggled. "But Dad, they're not animals."

Eames offered a matching smile. "I know, but it's more fun to imagine if they were, right?"

Alice hesitated, then nodded, quite quickly, at that.

Eames turned his attention back to the others. "Right. They were in a magical place called College. Gabriel was new, Princess Anne had been there for a while, and Maximillian, was a wise dragon who taught young animals and children alike. They were all surprised one day to find that the Dragon King, Michael, had called them all to his cave of secrets…"

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><p>12 years ago:<p>

Anne Jarvis stared blankly at her professor, Michael Callis' office door. What had she done? She had passed all of his tests (okay, barely on a couple of them, but the point still stood), she had perfect attendance, and she was one of the quiet few in the class. Why did she get called to his office? She inhaled sharply and raised her hand to knock on the door.

"You always look so gorgeous contemplating something as simple as knocking on a door, or am I just lucky?"

Anne turned towards the voice and frowned, seeing a male student leaning on the wall opposite her, smirking. She took him in- tall, lean, light eyes, and blonde hair that had clearly been brown before some treatment. "Do you always sneak up on unsuspecting girls?" She countered.

The young man shrugged and pushed off. "Only the ones who look like they could beat me senseless if I try anything."

Anne arched an eyebrow. "Masochist?" She sized him up again. Sure, she had a few inches on him, but he did look weak, and there were plenty of people around if she needed help.

The young man shook his head. "No, I just find girls who look like you do but apparently have morals intact awesome. You look like one of those people."

Anne blinked, not quite sure how to take 'look like you'- then again, she was in a skirt and shirt that might've been too short for a meeting with a professor, she realized the last bit and flinched, getting her jacket out of her bag and pulling it on. She tugged at the hem of her skirt so it came down a bit. She turned her attention back to the stranger. "And how would you know my morals are intact?"

He shrugged. "You have that look in your eye- that 'I look good and want people to see it, but if they try to touch when I don't want them to, they lose a finger' look."

Anne snorted. This kid was clearly out of his mind. She would be fine.

The young man extended a hand. "Gabriel Ibraham, freshman Pysch major, probably here for the same reason you are, to see Callis."

Anne glanced at his hand, then threw caution to the wind and shook it. "Annie Jarvis, senior Security major."

Gabriel smiled. "A very fitting major, if I do say so myself."

Anne shook her head. "Awesome day. I have no clue why I'm here and a freshman is hitting on me. Just what I wanted." She sighed sarcastically.

Gabriel laughed. "It was a test, I swear. No more being creepy for me. It comes with the personality, I'm afraid." He reached over and knocked on the door.

A few moments later, the door opened, and a tall, thin man with greying brown hair, dressed in a plaid shirt and faded jeans opened it. He smiled. "Ah, Gabriel, Anne, good. Come in. Max will be here soon."

Gabriel motioned at Anne to go in. "Ladies first."

Anne offered an exaggerated smile, then went inside the office with Gabriel right behind her.

The two students took in the office. It was bigger than those they had seen before. They took two of the three seats that were opposite the desk. They watched their professor take a seat, then proceed to stare them down with an odd smile. The two students exchanged glances. The situation had gotten more awkward than the one Gabriel had sparked moments before.

Michael finally spoke. "You probably want to know why I called you here."

After hesitating a while, Gabriel nodded. "Of course."

Michael crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you two believe that two people can share the same dream?"

The students looked at each other again before turning their attention back to their professor. "Not quite…?" Gabriel replied.

Anne shrugged. "It's honestly happened to my dad and I before, so yes."

Gabriel arched an eyebrow at her, when Michael just blinked. "Oh? What's your father's name?"

"Simon. Simon Jarvis." Anne replied. "…Why?"

Michael shrugged. "Guess not. However, what if I told you… there was a way, and a couple of colleagues and I harnessed that ability and put it into a device no bigger than a third of this desk?"

Gabriel leaned forward. "Is this some bogus… extra credit… test, sir?"

Michael laughed. "No, it's no test. You see, I've brought you here because I need both of your talents for this project. You see, the device… it works, but… the positions could be filled, and I believe you could take them."

"Oh?" Anne scoffed. It was official. One of the professors she had respected the most had completely lost their minds.

Michael nodded. "Your skills in security and whatnot could come of use in trying to make people learn how to prevent people from entering the subconscious, and you, Gabriel, who wrote the best paper on dreaming I've ever read, and at such a young age…"

Gabriel frowned. "Thank… you?"

Michael laughed. "You two clearly don't believe me. What could it take?"

"Proof of some sort?" Gabriel shrugged.

"A drug test on your part?" Anne added.

Michael grinned again, then reached down under his desk, pulling out a large suitcase. He opened it up and showed a device with several wires sticking out of it and around it. "This is an… odd first model, to say the very least."

Anne arched an eyebrow. "It looks like a prop that my brother could've made for the theatre department last year…"

"But it's so much more than that…" Michael replied, then looked up. "Ah, here he is. Anne, Gabriel, you may know a friend of mine, Max Skinner. Max, meet the two students I told you about, Gabriel and Anne."

The students turned to see a man with dark, disheveled hair coming into the office. The man, Max, nodded a quick greeting. "So you've told them?" He asked.

Michael nodded. "I have, they're having trouble believing it."

"Did you honestly expect us to right away?" Anne asked skeptically.

Michael waved his hand. "Of course not, Anne. We even have proof, but I doubt you would believe it without experiencing it firsthand. Not to mention if Max here and I showed you proof, you would doubt us completely."

"Try me. I already do." Anne replied.

"Agreed." Gabriel nodded.

Anne shot him a warning look that turned to a smile when he offered puppy eyes in response to her annoyance.

Max looked at the desk, then looked at Michael and frowned. He turned to the table in the corner, where a pitcher of water and a few glasses were. He poured two glasses and put them in front of the youngest two in the room. "Forgive Michael. He forgets hospitality when he's excited." He poured two more glasses for himself and Michael.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, and Gabriel took a drink to distract himself from it. Michael and Max did the same, so Anne followed suit. They all put their glasses down, and not a minute later, their worlds faded to black.

To Anne, it almost seemed like they were in Michael's office, then in a blink of an eye, they were all on some wide open plain that you saw in the shows about lions in Africa. Hell, it was a blink of an eye- a long blink, but a blink all the same. She turned rapidly, seeing Gabriel moving his arms like he was waiting to fall or have some other bad thing happen. Michael and Max were a couple of feet away, standing opposite them. She could barely even think. "Where are we? What the Hell did you do?"

Michael put his hands up. "Showed you firsthand what this device is capable of. All of us are in my subconscious- in my dream."

All the students could do was sputter for a while. Anne finally found her voice. "How'd you get us… if this is a dream, wouldn't we have to be sleep… how… wait a second… the water…" She turned to Max. "You drugged us?"

"What?" Gabriel demanded, but the pieces fell in quickly for him as well. "…You did!"

Michael shrugged. "It was the only way to make you see I wasn't joking or insane." He replied, then moved his arms outward again. "Welcome to the real Dream World."

"Um, no. Get us the Hell out of here. I don't know what you did, but I want out." Anne replied.

Michael frowned. "What? You wanted proof, here it is. My subconscious, for all of you to see- and share in."

"And how do I know this isn't some.. drug induced hallucination?"

"It almost is, but not quite." Michael replied.

"The Hell with you being cryptic-"

"We want to know what this really is." Gabriel finished for her.

"I just told you. We're all in my dream. A dream that's supposed to be quite peaceful, and all that can change in seconds here."

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Gabriel asked.

"Keep overreacting and you'll find out." Michael replied.

"Is that a threat?" Anne demanded.

"From me to you two, no. From my subconscious to you, yes."

The ground started to shake a small bit and they all stared down at it before it receeded.

Anne waited to make sure it had stopped entirely before she tossed her hands up and turned to leave, only to remember she had nowhere to go. She turned. "Look, I don't know what the Hell this is, but get us out of here."

"Listen, Anne, something we've noticed is if you don't stay relatively calm-"

"I was just drugged in your office and now I'm in Africa and you want me to stay calm?" Anne demanded.

"Yes, because if you don't-"

Gabriel let out a yelp when there was a clap of thunder. He barely had time to notice the accompanying flash of bright white light and realize it was lightning before he saw the fork hit Anne. His head snapped in her direction, and he just gawked when she was gone- not reduced to anything, but simply gone. "Wha…?" Before he could even manage another thought, there was another boom of thunder, then everything went black once more. The blonde man came back quickly, and looked around frantically, taking in he was back in the office. He hadn't realized he was panting until he managed to do one particularly loud exhale. He looked to his left, seeing Anne was beside him in the chair, perfectly fine. That was, she was trying to get the wire that was strapped onto her arm off of her with a great deal of effort. He looked down and found one attached to his arm and took to taking it off as well. He managed to get his own off rather fast and hopped over to help her with her own. "Christ. They must've thought I was a wimp."

"Well, we all have little surprises then, don't we. Are you staying to ask questions or getting the Hell out of here with me?"

"I have never been behind someone on an idea as much as I am with you right now." Gabriel replied, tossing her her jacket that had fallen between their seats.

He was in mid-stride to the door when they both saw Michael and Max come to. Michael blinked at them. "Well, there's your proof."

"Bite us, pal." Anne shot back. "I just got drugged, wound up somewhere in Africa claiming that it was your subconscious, and you expect me to say? Hell… no. Don't expect to see me in class ever again, either." She stepped in front of Gabriel to yank the door open, then stormed out, and Gabriel was close behind, once again.

Max waited for the door to close, then flinched before looking at Michael. "You think they'll be back."

Michael nodded. "Positive. They might be afraid now, but they're curious. Call Mitch and Alonso. We've found our security detail and our researcher."

"You got it."

Amelia blinked. "Then what happened? You and Mommy didn't meet yet!"

Eames laughed. "I know, darling. That comes later."

"Did they go back?"

"Of course we did."

The group turned around, seeing Gabriel leaning against the next tree over behind them. He hadn't changed much since the time of the memory. He had just gotten more muscle and his hair had grown out.

"Uncle Gabe!" Amelia, Alice and Wes all called, running over.

Gabriel laughed and picked up the younger two. "Hello, Troublemakers. Your mother told me you guys were going to the park and I just couldn't resist joining you."

"Yay!" Wes beamed.

Alice poked his chest. "So why did you go back if Lord Michael was mean and tried to poison you ?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Well, the poison wasn't as strong as your mom and I… and we were young and dumb. We shouldn't have gone back, but we did. Curiousity killed the cat. Now, I'm a horrible storyteller, so, Cal, why don't you take back over?"

"Oh, I plan to, my friend." Eames replied. "Give me back my kids and sit so you and my wife can confirm details. I've only heard one side and I've speculated the rest."

Gabriel set the kids down, then laid out between the sets of siblings. "Fire away. Let's hear how the teams met."

Eames nodded. "Alright, so, as Uncle Gabe said, they went back… but, before Princess Anne, Lord Michael, Gabriel and Max met the Princes, first, Prince Dom had to meet the beautiful Princess Mal…"


	4. A Chance Encounter

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. Work has been crazy lately. This chapter's fairly short, just to give you guys something quick since I haven't had much time to work on something. Oh, and the typo in the letter is in there on purpose. Anyways, can you guys aim for two reviews for this chapter again since it didn't quite work last time? (puppy face)**

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><p>Dom looked down at the pile of mail he had gotten in his mailbox in the school office. It was the usual- professors asking him to type things up, file, talk to one person or another- an average job for an office assistant who went back to college and done study abroad. He sorted through the requests when he came across a small, unmarked envelope. He was usually weary of them, but this one seemed harmless. He opened it and started to read.<p>

_Hello, Darling!_

_Hope all is well on the lawful end of the universe. It's so-so here. I must let you know that our dear little Arthur does have a dark side. Remember Hayden that you and I had that fun little chat with? The bastard kept using him as a scapegoat. What does our boy do? Bash him in the face with a pipe. Don't worry. It was one of those small hollow ones from those above-ground pools. Point is, he did it. Broke Hayden's nose, too. Our little boy is growing up. I'm so proud. He's out on bale, don't worry about that, either._

_Just checking in. I'll write again in a couple of weeks._

_Ta,_

_You Know Who_

_XO_

Dom chuckled as he shook his head. He folded up the letter and pocketed it. Why he had agreed to keep in touch with Eames and Arthur, let alone giving the former his contact information, he would never know. The thing was, he had grown a soft spot for the Englishman and his scrawny-yet-somehow-charming sidekick, so he was willing to deal with it. He wasn't quite sure what to think about Arthur's apparent predicament, though. He'd have to call him the first chance he got.

Remembering the task at hand, he stuck the pile of mail into his bag and headed out of the office. He turned the corner, then spotted two people picking up a few papers that were scattered around the floor. He sped up to help them pick up the papers, handing them to the older man in the group. "There you go, sir."

The man smiled. "Thank you, my dear boy."

Dom smiled, then picked up the last of the papers- a draft drawing of something that looked like a intricate suitcase. "Nice," He commented, handing it back to the man. He paused, then realized it was his Architecture professor from two semesters ago back in the States. Small world. "Professor Mitch…"

Stephen Mitch arched an eyebrow, then recognition dawned on his own face. "Good Lord. Dominic Cobb. What are you doing here?"

"…Work study, I guess you could say. What about you?" Dom asked. Sure, it was strange to skip general greetings, but he liked his old professor, and judging by old conversations, Mitch liked him, too.

"Got a job teaching here since it was closer to family. So, are you still as interested in Architecture as you were way back when?" He crossed his arms and tilted his head down- a behavior that Dom recognized from his time as the man's student.

Dom shrugged. "Not as much, but it's still a passion."

"Is it now?" Miles asked, then looked around. "So, Dom, do you like your job here?"

Dom blinked a couple of times and tried not to look expectant. "I've had worse, why, you have a better offer?"

Mitch smirked. "Yes, actually."

Dom tried not to gawk. Now that, he did not expect. "Talk to me."

Mitch opened his mouth, then stopped when the other member of their party cleared their throat. Dom turned and offered a smile to the woman who looked no older than him. He tried not to gawk once again. He thought she was gorgeous- long, wavy brown hair tied back into a ponytail, blue eyes that shone with emotion, and the innocent, patient smile she had at the moment fit her perfectly.

Little did he know that Mal was sizing him up the same way, and had come to the conclusion that her father had a very attractive student once upon a time.

Mitch looked between them. As a father, he wasn't too fond about the looks that they were sharing. He figured it would amount to nothing, however, based on distance and the differences that he drew between their personalities quickly. He nodded. "Ah, yes, how rude of me. Dom, this is my daughter, Mallorie. Mal, this is an old, brilliant student of mine, Dom Cobb."

"Pleasure," Dom offered his hand.

Mal smiled and shook it. "Same to you,"

* * *

><p>Phillipa rested her head in her hands. "Is that how it really happened, Uncle Cal?" she asked. She was just about glowing, her eyes and her smile practically lighting up her face. Granted, that was expected from a five year old girl whose honorary uncle had just told her the fairy-tale version of her parents meeting, despite their tragic parting.<p>

Eames beamed. He wondered how long his story would last in all of their minds. He figured it would stick with Amelia longer, based on age alone, but all the kids had vivid imaginations, so no one really knew. "Just about, Love. Let's say it was-"

"Less… Disney than that." Dom finished for him. "But very, very close, Phillipa. You know how Uncle Cal likes telling these stories."

"I like hearing them as much as he likes telling them." Phillipa countered.

Eames grinned, winked, and ruffled her hair. "I'm glad, Darling." He looked up at Dom and shrugged. "I could've just as easily told them that you turned a corner and knocked into her. Now that, my friend, is cliché and Disney. Besides, that would require Mal talking more and I can barely hold up a feminine French accent for a couple of moments than minutes. You know, you can join in telling the story."

Dom laughed. "It's only fair that if you told how Mal and I met, I tell them how you and Anne met."

Eames shrugged. "Fair enough, but… how, dare I ask, will you Disney-fy that one? When we met, it went from PG to… almost NC-17 easily." He offered a cheeky smirk in Anne's direction, and in turn, the redhead blushed furiously and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, don't give me that. It was all you."

"Hey, Michael gave me the job and it was an easily solution."

"Whatever you want me to believe, Darling." Eames winked.

Anne looked at Arthur for support, but the man just shrugged and offered a knowing smile. "He's an idiot, but he is our idiot."

"I love you too, Arthur." Eames replied, then turned back to the youngest members of the audience once again. "And that was how your parents met, and what they first thought of each other, so now… this is how your father learned about that big word 'inception', was given the job of creating the world, and tracking Uncle Arthur and I down again to help him. Why us? Because princes never abandon each other, and neither do princesses, no matter what happens, and what toys each princess got to play with, like fighting over cute princesses or princes when they're well into being a grown up, or what-"

"Cal!" The adults objected, before he could get too far into his overprotective uncle and father mode.

Eames looked at them. "Right… well, here we go. It wasn't too long after your parents met that your grandfather introduced your father to the world of… well, getting into dreams."


	5. The First Time

**A/N: Sorry if there are newbies to the fic that might've gotten lost in the first couple of chapters. I just noticed a lot of continuity stuff ranging from chapter 1 to here so I'm fixing them as I go. Anyways, enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>Arthur sighed as he looked down at the five identical looks of pleading that he had become accustomed to in the last few days. He was happy having a child free morning around the house when the five children had come barging into the guest room, demanding the continuation of Eames' story. Needless to say, he was puzzled. "Remind me why it's my turn to tell the story?"<p>

"Mommy said Daddy had to leave because a bad man was after him." Amelia replied at the same time as her siblings said 'Mommy said he had a business trip.' Arthur stifled a chuckle after he was satisfied the younger two hadn't caught their big sister's reply. He nodded. He wondered how well Eames' life was managed to be kept under wraps without the kids finding out. He and Anne hadn't raised fools- their children were bright, and picked up on things quite fast. He wondered when the children would pick up that 'bad men' weren't after their dad for no reason. "Fine then, but why didn't he have your mom-"

"She said you should because she's not as good as telling stories as you." Wes cut in.

Arthur smirked again. "Well, what else can I tell you other than our first case as a team, when your mother and Uncle Arthur and Cal finally came in?"

"Nothing!" The group protested.

"At least start it!" Philipa objected, waving her arms.

"Yeah!" The others agreed.

Arthur sighed and pulled Alice into his lap. "I'm not gonna win, am I?"

"Nope," She and the others chorused.

"I surrender. I'll start it, but I'm stopping right when we go inside the man's mind, because that's just about when Uncle Cal and Aunt Anne met, deal?"

"TELL US!"

"Okay, okay, I surrender. So… the first time we ever went into the dream together… not many of us knew what we were getting into… and we didn't know there was another team trying to do the same thing we were. You see, Philipa, James, your parents were the only ones who went in knowing what we were getting into. Wes, girls, your dad, and I really didn't know what we were signing up for when Uncle- I mean, Prince Dom gave us the call…"

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><p>Eames glanced uneasily at his long lost friend, trying to grip the concept of what was being presented. He had been relaxing at his grandmother's home in Sussex when Dom had called him. When the Englishman started to jeer about the cost of the call, Dom had just launched into an explanation of what he needed the man for. He was convinced his old friend had lost it. Entering someone's dreams and… existing in them seemed as far-fetched as time travel. The only thing that seemed moderately legitimate was the job they needed to do 'inside the man's head'- get information, because one of the men who had started the… dream sharing, as Dom called it, had stabbed Dom's girlfriends father in the back and sold the technology. Dom's girlfriend's father wanted to find out which of his two colleagues had done it. Apparently, the way to do that was hacking into both of their dreams. However, Eames remained stuck on the first bit. "So… you're saying that your girlfriend's father's friends and him have developed a way to… physically go into dream and just… do as you please to get information?"<p>

Dom nodded. "Exactly,"

Eames scoffed. "And I thought I did illegal things…"

Dom smiled. "Well, when I heard what needed to be done, two people came to mind from a part of my life I'm not happy with-"

"Says the man who's essentially turning into a felon with this." Eames pointed out, then grinned. "But the fact you thought of me is touching, Darling."

Dom smiled. "Fair enough. Speaking of 'two people', where's the other one?" He craned his neck to see over his companion's shoulder to see if the third man had arrived yet.

Eames shrugged, trying not to show the little satisfied grin that played on his lips for a minute. "Oh, he'll be in here in a little bit."

As if on cue, Arthur came bursting through the doors, pursued by two traffic cops. He was yelling, and the two other men could finally make out what was being said. "I told you it's not my car- you know what, fine. Here, take the fine. I don't even care anymore." He took his wallet out and shoved a few bill's into one of the officer's hands. The cops and the young man continued a hushed conversation before the cops left. Arthur huffed, turned on his heel, and spotted the other two men. He went over, then slid into the bench so he sat beside Dom. He scowled at Eames. "I hate you."

Eames grinned. "No you don't, Artie. We made the deal. You pay for my mistakes, I buy your dinner."

Arthur took Arthur's menu and started passive aggressively reading it. "Don't call me Artie. I just got out of my freshman year in college. I'm not a first grader. And that was one hundred and fifteen dollars. You're lucky I had a busy day and had one hundred and fifty on me. You better know I'm ordering at least one hundred and thirty dollars' worth of food." He replied.

Dom laughed. "Arthur, the most expensive thing here is a forty dollar steak."

"I can always take it home. Now, tell me, why have I barely heard from you 'til now, and why are we here?"

Dom smiled. He had forgotten how much he cared for the younger man. He was wise beyond his years, and he wasn't afraid to show his no-nonsense attitude. He liked that in someone so young. Most of all, he would like that in the team that he was supposed to assemble- that he had assembled at that table. With a deep breath, he started up the exact story he had told Eames. He wasn't surprised when Arthur met him with at least three times the skepticism that Eames had. What did surprise him, however, was how Eames backed him up, after his own uneasiness. The Englishman was full of surprises. He knew that much. "So… can I at least show you what the process entails?"

"Define show us…" Eames replied.

Dom grinned, then looked at Arthur. "Order quick. I have to bring you back to my place. Mal and her dad are staying when their place is being renovated. You're gonna love it."

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><p>"Dom! You're back!" Mal called from the living room as he and the two other men arrived. Her smile turned curious upon seeing the other two. "With company," she finished.<p>

Dom kissed her on the forehead, then nodded. "They're here for your dad. The big one's Cal Eames, the small one's Arthur Kingsley."

"Big as in height or width, my friend?" Eames returned before taking Mal's hand in his own and kissing it. "Pleasure to meet you. We've heard all about you."

Mal chuckled. "Well, then I must've been a catch since we've only been together two months."

Eames smirked, then clapped Dom on the shoulder. "Yes, well, Dom is a terrible romantic, isn't he? Smart man, apparently, judging by the looks of you."

Arthur waited a beat before shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you,"

"And you," Mal replied. "You don't flirt with another man's catch," She replied, sending a teasing smile Eames' way before heading back to the living room.

Dom and Arthur turned to Eames, who simply shrugged, impressed. Dom led them into the living room, then introduced his friends to Stephen. Soon after, the group was led to the guest room, where a PASIV was set up.

Eames pointed at it. "What's with the fancy suitcase?"

Dom smirked. "That, my friend, is the key to our task."

Eames and Arthur exchanged looks before shrugging and following Dom further into the room and over to the machine. Eames looked at Arthur again before hesitating. "Um… how does it work?"

Dom cast a glance at Stephen, who in turn motioned from him to the PASIV. "I've taught you, now let's see how you teach. Just try what I tried with you."

Dom nodded and turned back to his friends. "Look… you're both not gonna believe me if Stephen and I show you alone, so… we're gonna have to hook both of you or one of you to this ting and go into a dream."

The boys gawked again. "What?"

"That's the only way you can find out I'm not lying to you. I know it's… suspicious to say the least… but…"

Eames nodded. "Define 'hooked up' as well, Darling?"

"You there's an IV… we're working on a gentler approach." Stephen cut in.

Eames looked at Arthur. "Well, I'm in. Now I'm just plain curious."

Arthur hesitated, then ended up looking like a fish out of water, looking for words. "But how… you're just trusting that?"

Eames shrugged. "He's been honest with us before. What's there to be worried about? A little pinprick? He's not going to drug us and steal our wallets."

Dom laughed. "Well, drug, yes . It's a low dose sedative, you'll be out, then back in five minutes." Dom replied.

Arthur stared, then shook his head. "Look, I don't think… it's still… can I observe, at least? Make sure nothing goes wrong? Eames is an idiot. He needs someone to play guardian."

Eames made a face at his youngest friend, then turned back to Dom .:"That's settled, let's go."

Dom frowned. "He has a point… that's it? You're okay when I've just told you that? Are you sure?"

Eames shrugged again. "What's life without a little risk, hm? Let's teach Arthur to loosen up."

Arthur made a noise of protest, then put his hands up in surrender.

Eames nodded, satisfied. "Right, so, where's that I.V?"

After a few minutes of watching his friends set up, then watching them fall asleep under the effects of the sedative, Arthur was apprehensive, to say the least. He took it all in- the wires connected to hios friends' arms, and the machine giving off a low hum. He looked up at Stephen. "So… what exact is going on?"

Stephen smiled, leaned forward, and started describing the entire process of dream sharing.

Meanwhile, Eames found himself on the deck of some villa. It looked like it was somewhere in the middle of Italy. He spotted Dom in the chair beside him, and gawked. "This is…"

Dom smirked. "This… is my dream." He opened his arms, indicating the surroundings. "All from my imagination. Now, follow me." He got off the chair, and Eames followed eagerly. They went down a staircase at the end of the deck then made their way to the other side of the home. Dom pushed open the gate was there, then stopped so Eames could take in the view that was equally spectacular to the one from before.

"This is fantastic… and this isn't some…?"

"No, and, you're looking at your own work, here."

Eames frowned and looked at him. "What?"

Dom motioned at the scenery again. "I start it, your subconscious fills it in." Dom replied.

Eames turned to take everything in again. "Incredible. Absolutely incredible…" He shook his head and laughed. "Can I…?" He motioned ahead of them.

Dom smiled. "Go, walk. Your head will do the creating for you." His eyes lit up when his friend needed no more advisement. He walked in a straight line, and various objects appeared as he did so. He knew that Eames would take to the new idea well. Now he just had to worry about Arthur.

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><p>3 months later:<p>

To Dom's surprise, it had only taken a few weeks for Arthur to warm up to the idea of going into someone's subconscious- both generally and for the reason they had been recruited. The fact that they had done research on Stephen's associates and the one whose mind they were going to go into first had various lawsuits about being corrupt and stealing money. He had been fired from his teaching job a few months earlier for those reasons. Arthur, ever the moral young man, had wanted to do something for the people he had cheated.

They had tracked down the ex-professor, Michael Callis, and were trying to come up with ways of trying to either confiscate his PASIV completely, or get him sedated and use their own PASIV to get the information of who Callis has sold to. When they had to go with their last resort of breaking into the man's home, Arthur dropped out. He wasn't willing to a full on criminal just yet.

Eames and Dom were, however. Eames took care of pick locking their way in, and they set up everything quietly and quickly in the room, keeping an eye on Michael as they did so. They failed to notice a wire trailing from his nightstand's drawer to his arm, mostly covered by the sheet that was over him. The men took it as a miracle that he didn't wake up at any time. They put the IV in his arm, and he still remained asleep. The men looked at each other before nodding. They left the room for good measure before putting the other IVs in their own arms. They let sleep claim them, and could only wait to carry on the plan.


	6. It Begins

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. Take a long chapter and Ariadne showing up as my apology. I'd love to hear what you guys think, too.**

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><p>Ariadne looked up at the house that her taxi had pulled up to a couple of minutes ago. Eames had invited her to a little 'First and Saito-Job-in-Ariadne's–Case-Because-We-Can't-Just-Leave-Her-Out Reunion' as he called it. But now, she wasn't sure if that was really the case. She was looking at the house that was at the address he had given her, and she wondered if it was some practical joke or not. She wouldn't put it past the man to give her the wrong address to make her day miserable.<p>

The house was almost… too 'white picket fence' for Eames. It was just some typical suburban house you could find anywhere. It wasn't huge, there wasn't some in-your-face statue or fountain in the front. The driveway was barely thirty feet long. There were just a couple of cherry trees- one in the middle of each side of the front yard. All that was missing was a kid or dog playing in the yard. Hell, even kids seemed off for Eames, but he had mentioned he had three- and a wife he was faithful to. Then again, that could have been Eames' idea of keeping his said family safe- by keeping up things that wouldn't seem to fit him. But Eames didn't seem that smart. She paused when she heard a dog barking from inside. Well, that just sealed the unreal deal. Normal house, dog, kids. Well, there was only one way to find out.

She sighed and threw caution to the wind. She headed up the sidewalk, reached the door, and knocked. She waited, still expecting to have it answered by some old woman who she or Eames didn't know, and vice versa. When it did open, she certainly didn't expect to see a tall, thin redhead just a few years older than her on the other side. Well, if that was Eames' wife in question, she did seem to fit the bill- she looked the part of a model- just the type she assumed Eames would go for.

Anne blinked expectantly at the newcomer. "Hi!" She offered a warm smile, then when a Doberman Pinscher peaked around from the back of her legs, she wrestled it back. "No, Zeus! Back, heel!"

Ariadne nodded and smiled weakly.

Anne finished wrestling the dog back, then tucked her hair behind her ears, still eyeing the younger woman with slight suspicion. She mentally ticked off the traits the woman had that Arthur had described. The girl in front of her had them all, but she wasn't going to trust so quickly. "Are you Ariadne?"

Ariadne turned back and opened her mouth to reply. She paused when she heard Eames' unmistakable voice call out 'Yes' from somewhere inside the house. Sure enough, when she looked behind Anne, Eames was peeking out from behind the archway that lined up with the door. "As you heard, yes I am. Hi, Eames!"

"Hello, Darling!" Eames called, ducking back inside the other room.

Anne smiled again, warmer this time, and stepped aside. "Come on in."

Ariadne raised her eyebrows, then followed her in. "So… I guess you're Anne, then?"

"I am. Nice to meet you. The boys are in the kitchen, as you saw. Sorry about the dog."

Ariadne smiled back, then glanced down at the dog, Zeus, as he kept pacing between them, nipping and licking at her hands. "Don't worry about it. One of my old ones were like that- barked at everyone, no matter how many times they ever came over." Ariadne replied, walking inside. Dom, Arthur and Eames met her halfway, nodding greetings as they did so.

Ariadne smiled and nodded back. "Hey. So, what have I missed?"

Eames shrugged. "Not much. The whole reunion here was kind of ruined by my little monsters asking how we all met. Well, I guess that's not really ruining it, but I meant for this reunion to be us getting drunk and having a good time as opposed to playing storyteller."

Ariadne laughed. "I take those 'monsters' are your and Cobb's kids?"

Eames nodded. "Yes, but Cobb's aren't as monstrous as mine." He reported.

Ariadne shook her head. "I still can't believe you settled down with anyone…" She muttered, then glanced back at Anne. "No offense."

"None taken," Anne replied. "I didn't think he was one to settle down, either."

"Neither did her mother." Eames pointed out, jabbing a finger in Anne's direction. "Hold on, let me introduce you to the little ones. They want the rest of the story, and Ariadne might as well hear it since we're getting into how the beginning of the job went. Bet you wanna hear more of the reasons why Artie here can stand me, don't you?"

Ariadne shrugged. "Why not?" She hid yet another laugh when with Arthur rolled his eyes and glared at Eames.

Arthur turned his attention to Anne. "Can you control your husband when we have company?"

"Nope," Both Anne and Eames replied.

Eames shrugged and tried to look innocent before he headed over to the stairs. "Hey, kids! Come meet Auntie Ariadne!"

Ariadne raised her eyebrows. "That title so soon?"

Arthur cut in. "Why not? You've been with us on two missions and have tolerated us going out for drinks at least three times. That's family by default in this business."

Eames pointed at him. "Exactly." He glanced up when the children came down. "There they are. Ari, the ones you don't know are mine, obviously. The tall one's my oldest, Amelia, then there are the twins, Alice and Wes, and you've met James and Phillipa."

"Hi!" Ariadne beamed, then gladly shook the children's hands when they all offered theirs to shake.

He waited for his children and Ariadne to shake hands. He winked at Anne, who looked absolutely thrilled that the kids had initiated the handshakes. "Come on, then. I'll give you the grand tour. Arthur and Annie can fix lunch, we can relax, and I'll add to the story." He took the young woman's coat, put it on the rack a few feet away, then guided her down the hallway. The children followed out of desire to see their parents' friend, or to show off their rooms.

Cobb excused himself to take a phone call after a few moments, dropping a quick kiss on the back of Ariadne's head as she passed him.

When Ariadne passed Arthur, the two shared a look and a small smile, which didn't go unnoticed completely- Eames and Anne caught it. Whereas Eames smirked, but kept it covered, Anne's look was more of pride, and when Arthur looked back at her, it dropped and she raised her eyebrows before stepping back so he could lead the way back to the kitchen.

When they made it inside, Anne turned to him and poked him in the chest. "You like this girl, don't you?"

His smile faded. "What?"

Anne jerked her head towards the hallway Eames had led her down. "Her! Ariadne!"

Arthur made a face. "Ariadne? No. We're colleagues. Friends." Arthur replied. "And I-" the next part of his argument died in his throat when Anne crossed her arms over her chest and gave him the knowing look that Eames had complained about so many times. "… Is it that obvious?"

"Awww." Anne grinned, then cupped his cheeks, holding tight when he tried to pull away. "Arthur, I'm happy for you. It's about time you found someone other than that crazy woman, Lana-"

"Elena," Arthur corrected, swatting at her hands. "You know, I like you, but you're like Eames too many times now."

"We take that as a compliment. Back to my point. Elena was insane. Insane doesn't suit you. Even Mia didn't like her. Point is, Ariadne- she has a fantastic name for an architect, by the way- seems really nice. She'd be good for you."

Arthur shrugged. "I don't know. She's a good friend, and-"

"And you could change that to more than friends and it would work well, Arthur. Can I help you get the girl for once, please?"

Arthur frowned at her and gave her an 'are you kidding?' look.

Anne rolled her eyes. "Honey, I hate to say it, but you're probably gonna go home and have financial troubles thanks to running from unhappy employers, which will land you back here at our place. You know just as well as I do that I love your company, but if you had Ariadne with you, it would be nice for me to have some female company that I didn't give birth to."

Arthur sighed. "But-"

"Arthur, sweetheart." Anne insisted, settling for pressing her hand to his cheek.

Arthur tried not to make a face. He hated when she babied him. He remembered haphazardly telling her about Mal shooting him in the dream the first time they tried to pull one over on Saito, and the woman had nearly been in hysterics. She had called Eames, demanded that he find 'our little brother and make sure he's okay,' Eames had apparently just laughed it off, told her he had more pressing business, and that Arthur could handle himself. He turned his attention back to the redhead when she opened her mouth to continue.

"Would it harm you that much to at least try? At least let me help. It's the least I can do. I'll be subtle. I promise." Anne continued.

Arthur sighed. "A relationship with people in our profession would never work."

"Um, do you know whose roof you're under?" Anne asked. "Look, sure, Cal and I started on opposite sides and had a rivalry going, but it turned into one that was barely serious, and then the whole fiasco happened, and now look at us. We're happy, we have a house, we have kids-"

"People would come after us. I don't want that." Arthur cut in.

"That can be worked around. Cal and I know what we're doing. We cover tracks, we're careful here, , we can defend ourselves-"

"And four out of ten of our neighbors are hired guns, and Saito's promised to look after Annie and the kids if any bastard gets too close for comfort to this place."

Arthur and Anne looked over, seeing Eames leaning in the doorway.

Eames pushed off of it and walked over. "The kids took over the tour. They're in love with Ariadne already." He explained, then leaned on the table. "So, Annie, what's happening? Are we setting up Artie and Ari?"

Arthur gawked at him, wondering just how much the other man had heard, and then waved his hands, putting a more important piece of information together. "Hold on. Saito knows about your wife and kids?" He asked.

Eames shrugged. "Didn't have the energy to lie after we were about to part ways in the airport. I had my wallet out at the baggage claim and didn't put it away fast enough. He saw the picture I have of Wes in it- you know, the one where he has a pot over his head- asked about it. I told him about them."

"That's a horrible idea."

"It's not like I bloody told him where they live, Darling. It was just a couple of questions, then a while later he heard my boy in the background when he called me to check in about Fischer's business. Now, apparently 'cause we helped save his life back then, if he hears anything over the grapevine about someone going after my family, he'd send people to take care of it."

"And you believe him?" Arthur frowned.

"The thing about family men who are cons, Arthur…" Eames looked him in the eye. "Is that, if they're on the same side at any time, they connect through what they have because they all know how important family is and how delicate keeping one is in this business. It's the whole backscratching thing- I save his life, he protects mine if come ever need be, which it won't."

"You don't know that." Arthur pointed out.

"And this was a far tangent from where we were getting. We were talking about the way you look at Ari and how badly you need to get laid, were we not?" Eames countered.

"Well, the two adults out of the three of us were talking about the first part, and not the second, because we both have respect for each other." Arthur countered.

Eames made a face. "Darling, I practically _raised you_. I'm entitled to make sure you experience the fine things in life every so often."

"More like you ruined me, Mister Eames." Arthur shot back.

Eames looked at Anne. "So, how come Arthur here can call you Anne or Annie, but sticks with 'Mister Eames' for me unless it's in front of the kids, and if I try a nickname on him, it's World War Three?"

"I repeat my point about respect." Arthur replied.

Eames rolled his eyes, then turned on his heel in order to intercept Wes and Alice and pick them up as the kids and Ariadne came back. "Alright, who wants to hear more of the story, or the middle, in Ariadne's case?"

"We do!" The children chorused, just as they had the last few days.

"Right. So, where were we? When Princes s Annie was supposed to come in, wasn't it? Well, you see, Prince Cal was never really the smartest prince in the land. He always trusted a pretty face- which, Wes, James, is a very bad idea. You hear me? _Very._"

* * *

><p><em>Eames gawked at the sight to behold as he came to in a large room that separated into different spaces. It clicked as something that looked like the lobby, bar area, then stairs to the stage in a theater that held an expensive show.<em>

_Cobb suddenly appeared to his right. "Well?" He offered a tight smile._

_"This is… this is…" Eames waved his arms around the area, still not coming up with the terms. Cobb hadn't been going through a break in his sanity, after all. "Just…" He gave up entirely as Dom chuckled._

_Dom patted him on the back. "Well, now that you know this isn't a ruse, I have things to do. You can come with me, or explore a bit."_

_"Explore. Good God, explore." Eames replied._

Dom nodded again. "Just… don't stray too far, alright?"

_Eames waved him off, and started his walk around the premises. Every so often, stopping to honestly giggle at the possibility. This was a dream, but it was one of the most real dream he had been in. So far there wasn't a limit to the ground he could cover, the people standing around seemed all the more real, and he actually felt the grain in the wood when his hand accidentally hit a doorframe. He could barely comprehend it all. He glanced at the entryway into the bar section of the building. Well, he had nothing to lose, and last he checked drinks still worked the same way in a dream. He made his way into the room and looked around, then set eyes on something that made him stop completely._

_A redhead was at the bar, with her hair up in a messy bun and she was dressed in some tight, short strapless black dress. She was one Hell of a vision as far as he was concerned, and better yet, she was alone, and this was a dream. What could go wrong? He sauntered over and sat on the stool beside her. "Hello there. What's a lovely thing like you doing alone in a place like this?"_

_The redhead looked at him, looking alarmed for a moment, but the look slipped into an amused smirk. "Getting away from the crowds and enjoying a drink. How about yourself?"_

_"Well, as the new guy in town I was exploring a bit of the night life, 'til I came across you all alone."_

_"Oh. You don't waste time, do you?" She countered._

_"Not tonight, no." Eames replied._

_The woman arched an eyebrow, crossed one leg over the other and pivoted so she was knee to knee with him. "Alright. I'll bite. I'm Alice, by the way. What has you so excited, sir?"_

_"Cal's the name, and oh, you wouldn't believe me if I tried."_

_"Try me." The redhead countered._

_Eames grinned, coming up with some elaborate lie that would land him in the typical poor-bar-patron-who-needed-to-get-away drabble._

* * *

><p><em>Dom glanced across at his latest employer. A young man who had suspected his wife of cheating, who was, unfortunately correct. He swallowed briefly as the man, Davis, paced, running his hands through his hair as he processed the information. "Is there anything else we can do…?"<em>

_"No, no… I…" Davis paused, then went back to pacing. "How could she do this to me?! How?"_

_Dom remained silent._

_Davis scoffed. "I just… I don't believe it…"_

_"Not many do, I'm afraid." Dom offered._

_David scoffed. "Yeah, no shit. But why leave me when I… when I…"_

_Dom arched an eyebrow, now noticing the nervous twitches that were looking more and angrier as time went on. "Now, Davis- I…" He jumped when there was suddenly a bang and the door behind them crashed right off its hinges. Dom scrambled back and turned, seeing a two men in the doorway. One was a few years older than him, with greying brown hair and grey eyes. The other behind him was a blonde young man, looking half confused, half terrified at the other man. "Mike, what-"_

_The brunette man frowned as he spotted Dom. "The Hell…?" He turned his attention back to Davis. "You!" He proceeded to bound over the door and around Dom._

_Davis turned on his heel and bolted for the back exit._

_Dom watched the chase continue before looking at the blonde man who still hadn't moved._

_The blonde looked back at him for a while, then blinked, took one step back, and bolted back down the hallway himself._

_Dom stood and hurried after him, trying to figure out what was going on. He heard the man yelling something, but as he followed the voice to a dead end, there was no one there. He frowned, trying to figure out what the Hell he had just brought himself into. And where the Hell was Eames?_

* * *

><p><em>Eames let out a bark of laughter as Alice just about shoved him against the wall before kissing him hard again. Their whole conversation from before had gone from quick introductions to a quick sob story that placed them in the bar, to traded playful insult, and that had relocated and escalated to this. Not that he was complaining. He turned sharply so she was the one against the wall. He had the brief thought of just how… where they were headed would work in the real world since this was apparently Dream World, but then she did something clever with her tongue and he was gone again.<em>

_"Card's in. Open- door." Alice choked out._

_Eames hummed in response and opened the hotel room door._

_They stumbled through, and Alice paused a moment before continuing on, grabbing and tugging on hi the lapels of his jacket, then pushing him towards the bed, with him letting her do so quite eagerly. He felt the back of the bed and went to sit, and she followed him briefly before standing back up. Eames opened his eyes and blinked at her for a couple of moments. "Wha…?"_

_She winked at him. "Just… gimme a sec, Handsome." She replied, then backed up into the bathroom, closing the door behind her._

_Eames went back to staring at the spot she had been, then half sighed, half laughed. That was one Hell of a turn of events. His thoughts drifted back to just how sex would work in this kind of dream. The same as it always worked when it came to dreaming it? Well, that had the potential to be embrassing. Well, then again, what if it was different? He continued to contemplate it, then realized that Alice had been gone a small while longer than expected. He huffed, then headed for the bathroom. "You know, for someome who was so eager a few minutes ago…" He trailed off when he noticed that the bathroom was completely empty. He yanked back the shower curtain. Still nothing. "What the bloody Hell…?" He muttered, and then suddenly felt some invisible force hit him lightly between his chest and arm on one side, then the other- and then everything went black._

_He came to in the same room Dom had left him within a few seconds. He lifted his head just in time to see Alice standing in front of him. This time she wasn't in the dress- just a tank top and jeans, and her hair wasn't down. And she was holding his wallet._

_She noticed he was awake. "You recover fast." She noted._

_"And you have my wallet." Eames pointed out._

_She scoffed. "Relax, Mister…?" She flipped open the wallet, then closed it. "Hm. Cal Eames. You actually weren't lying about your name, huh?"_

_"And your name's not Alice, is it?" Eames countered._

_Not-Alice let out an honest laugh this time. "You're good. My team and I are better, though. Keep away from Davis. He's ours." She replied, her voice growing threatening as she said the last half. "Now… I'm no thief, Mister Eames. We just wanted some information when we found your friend on the inside."_

_Eames glanced around and spotted a man with greying brown hair in the corner. He looked down, and saw that he had actually been tied up at some point from when he went into the dream til then. Most definitely new territory. "So that's where Little Miss Desperate came in, hm?"_

_The redhead shrugged. "Well, when you started talking to me was when Miss Desperate came in. Usually the projections don't talk back."_

_"Annie, we're running out of time. Davis is probably gone by now. We'll get Gabe as we go."_

_"Alright, Mike." The redhead replied, then turned her attention back to Eames. "No hard feelings, huh? Just business?" She patted his cheek, then the two left the room._

_Eames stared at the doorway again, and then tried his best to turn towards where Dom was. He noted the man was also tied up. "Cobb? Cobb! Wake up!"_

_Dom stirred, then lifted his head. "We weren't alone in there." He reported._

_"You don't say. You just missed them." Eames replied, nodding at the ropes._

_Dom looked down. "Who were they?"_

_"All I heard were names. There was a Mike, a Gabe was mentioned, and some little minx Annie."_

_Dom decided to ignore the latter person's description, then looked up as Arthur came running into the room._

_The younger man looked at his companions, tied up, then back down the hallway. "I stepped out for a while to get air, then I saw them- what happened?"_

_"We'll let you know when we find out. Get us the Hell out of these." Eames instructed._

_Arthur hesitated, then nodded and hurried over, getting to work on the ropes. Something told him that there was more just added to what he expected to be a long story._

* * *

><p>"So Uncle Gabe and Auntie Annie were really the bad guys at first?" Phillipa asked.<p>

Eames shrugged. "Well, that's how the dragon's mind control worked, Darling."

"That's silly," Phillipa countered.

The adults chuckled as the other children nodded in agreement.

"It is, isn't it?" Eames replied. "Well, you'll just have to see how else it goes. Now, because your mother slash aunt and uncle are incapable of following orders, why don't we all head back into the kitchen and make lunch, hm?"

One would think that there was a stampede of animals, judging by the sounds the children running for the kitchen went.

Eames looked at Arthur and Anne. "Well?"

"You're the one that just baited them. You make lunch." Arthur argued.

Eames rolled his eyes, but when he noticed that all his other companions looked like they agreed, he headed for the kitchen, mumbling about things being unfair as he did so.


End file.
